Federal immigration agents launch crackdown in Charlotte, DHS announces
Federal immigration agents began operations Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina, the latest target of President Trump’s growing crackdown on illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security announced.
DHS said it has officially launched an operation called “Charlotte’s Web” to target immigrants living illegally in the Charlotte area. CBS News first reported Last week, the Trump administration was preparing to deploy teams of Border Patrol agents to Charlotte, including Commander Gregory Bovino, who had led a controversial weeklong crackdown in the Chicago area.
“We are strengthening DHS law enforcement in Charlotte to keep Americans safe and eliminate threats to public safety,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “There have been too many victims of illegal criminal aliens.”
Videos posted to social media Saturday appeared to show Border Patrol agents in green uniforms making arrests in the Charlotte area. A Homeland Security official told CBS News that federal immigration agents made nearly 100 arrests in the Charlotte area on Saturday. This number includes immigration-related arrests by Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Many Border Patrol agents are expected to participate in the Charlotte operation, which could involve armored vehicles and special operations teams, according to internal government documents obtained by CBS News.
The Trump administration’s efforts have already drawn sharp criticism from North Carolina Democratic officials, including Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who said in a statement alongside other local leaders that the operation was “causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty.”
After the operation in Charlotte, the Border Patrol is expected to focus on New Orleans, where authorities plan to send up to 200 agents to launch an operation dubbed “Catahoula Crunch,” CBS News reported Friday.
